Preface: I couldn't fit everything necessary for this story to make sense in the summary. I was watching a rerun of the 1st season of the O.C. the other day. For those of you who haven't watched it, the main character, Ryan, had an alcoholic mother who abandoned him and her boyfriend beat him after he was arrested for stealing a car with his older brother. Ryan's a good guy, but he's a little rough around the edges because of his childhood. He smokes, drinks, gets into fights, etc. After Ryan's mom abandons him, a nice family adopts him. It kind of reminded me of Life Unexpected and I started wondering what would have happened if Ryan was Cate's child or if Lux acted a little more like Ryan. In this story, Lux is Cate's daughter, but Lux acts out more than she does in the real show. Some of Lux's behavior will be out of character. I've changed some events to make the story work. Cate and Ryan are together, but they're not engaged. Lux hasn't turned sixteen yet. The story starts on the day of Drink A Date (which is obviously happening earlier than it did in the show because Lux isn't yet 16).
Lux's alarm clock went off at 5:00 am on the dot.
Tasha groaned when she heard the obnoxious beeping sound coming from the bunk bed below her. "Why do you always have to wake up at the crack of dawn to listen to that stupid radio show?"
Lux hastily shut her alarm off before it woke any of the other girls in the small room up. The room currently housed five foster kids. It was just one of many rooms in the Sunnyvale Home for Girls.
"Sorry," Lux whispered to her best friend. She grabbed her portable radio from underneath the bed and put headphones on to listen to Morning Madness with Cate and Ryan.
Tasha jumped down from the top bunk. She was already awake and knew she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. She settled in next to Lux and grabbed one of the earpieces from Lux.
"You don't actually drink your date, People," Cate's voice emanated from the radio.
Cate and Ryan began giving the details for their event, Drink A Date, which was that night.
Tasha nudged Lux. "What the hell is Drink A Date?"
Lux smirked. "It's an event they have every year for young singles. The radio station pays for people's drinks and then it's kinda like speed dating."
"Free alcohol? Where do I sign up?" Tasha said.
"You don't sign up. You just go to the bar they're going to be at," Lux explained.
"So let's go," Tasha said eagerly.
"One problem," Lux said.
Tasha looked at her friend expectantly.
"We're not twenty-one," Lux pointed out.
"When has that ever stopped us?" Tasha pointed out. "Anyway, the bar they're going to be at is the place for underage drinking. They don't check IDs."
"That's good since we don't have any," Lux said.
Tasha smiled slightly.
John Bazile entered Open Bar and glanced around the bar. He frowned when he saw the place was a mess. Empty cups and knocked over cups sat on a beer pong table.
John's expensive shoes were sticking to the floor. He shook his head, wondering when was the last time his son had cleaned.
John started for the stairs that led to Baze's loft apartment. He expected his son's apartment to be a pigsty, but he hadn't expected it to be quite this bad.
Dirty plates with unrecognizable contents and empty take-out cartons lined the kitchen counter. Something smelled. John wrinkled his nose. He zeroed in on the overflowing trash can as the offending object.
John stormed over to Baze's room. He paused at the door, contemplating knocking. Knowing his son, it was entirely possible John would walk in on Baze and a girl.
John remembered it was afternoon and most people were working. Unless his son had managed to find a girl as unmotivated as him, Baze would be alone. John threw the door open.
Baze cringed when light from the living room shone into his otherwise dark bedroom. He shielded his eyes and looked up. "Dad?"
"I'm here for the rent for the bar," John said.
Baze sat bolt upright. "About that, I'll get it to you, but I'm gonna need a little more time."
"I won't hold my breath. You don't have $3,200 dollars today. You're not gonna have it tomorrow," John muttered.
John surveyed his son's bedroom with distaste. A large pile of dirty laundry took up most of the floor. A dirty cup and plate sat on Baze's nightstand.
Baze frowned. His dad didn't believe in him. He hadn't in a long time, Baze knew.
The last time Baze actually remembered his dad being proud of him was when he was starting quarterback in high school and his team won the State Championship. That was over fifteen years ago.
"If I'd known you were going to take the building I gave you and turn it into a bar…" John trailed off, his tone disappointed.
"Yeah, well, you said to do what I loved," Baze said, raking a hand through his wavy brown hair.
"Pay the rent within a week or I'm taking the bar," John said, giving his son a hard look.
"What are you wearing?" Tasha asked Lux.
Lux studied the limited contents of the closet she shared with Tasha, debating between jeans or a dress. She wanted to look older than her sixteen years. She pulled a black strapless dress from her closet and held it up. "This."
Tasha rummaged through the clothes on her side of the closet and chose a black halter dress with studs on it. "Are you wearing heels?" She asked.
Lux shook her head. "Heels hurt my feet," she said simply.
The girls dressed and then stood in line for the bathroom they shared with the entire floor of girls. When it was their turn, they spread tubes of lip-gloss and tubs of eye shadow out on the bathroom counter and began applying make-up.
They heard someone banging on the door. "You've been in there for fifteen minutes! What are you guys doing in there?"
"Don't worry about it!" Tasha said angrily.
The girls took their time finishing their make-up before emerging from the bathroom. Several older girls who had been waiting in line gave them dirty looks.
Lux felt a tug on her dress and glanced down. Her expression softened when she saw a young girl. "Hi," Lux said, smiling.
"You look pretty," the little girl said softly.
Lux's smile widened. "Thank you. You look pretty, too."
The little girl beamed proudly.
"I need to get paid," Jaime complained, giving Baze a hard look.
Jaime, Baze and Math sat in lawn chairs on the rooftop of Open Bar.
Baze raked a hand through his hair. "I know. We need to get butts in the barstools."
Jaime nodded toward the bar across the street. "They've got a line out the door."
Math nodded knowingly. "They're hosting Drink A Date."
Baze made a face. "Drink a what?"
Jaime snickered.
"Drink A Date. It's an event hosted by K100," Math said.
Jaime narrowed his eyes. "And you know about it because?"
Math blushed slightly. "This girl from high school is one of the radio hosts."
Baze smirked. Math was huge in high school. He hadn't had any girlfriends and he hadn't had very many girl friends. "Wait a minute. What girl from high school?"
Math's cheeks burned. "Cate Cassidy."
Baze nearly choked on his beer.
Math and Jaime stared at him.
Baze looked down. "Something in my throat," he fibbed.
"You guys went to high school with this chick?" Jaime asked.
Baze nodded.
"So ask her to hook us up, have the next event here," Jaime suggested.
Baze raked a hand through his hair. "Nah. I didn't know her well."
The three guys stood at the railing, watching as more people lined up across the street. The line was wrapping around the block and it was still early.
Jaime grinned. He gestured toward two young girls in line. "Do they look twenty-one to you?"
Baze shook his head.
"They look like they're in high school," Math commented.
Jaime stared at Baze. "If that bar were to get shut down, where would all those people go?"
"Here," Baze said as realization dawned. He retrieved his cell phone from his pocket and called the police to report underage drinking.
Cate made her way to the bar with purpose. "Vodka and tonic," she said simply to the bartender.
The bartender grinned boyishly, checking her out as he prepared the drink.
Cate barely noticed the bartender's gaze. She accepted the drink and tipped him.
Cate took a drink from the glass and smiled slowly.
Cate frowned when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned, expecting a fan or male admirer, but instead saw Alice.
"Hey, come on," Alice said. "We need you on stage."
Cate quickly downed her drink and set the empty glass on the bar before joining Ryan on stage.
"Helloooo Portland!" Ryan's voice boomed. The bar erupted in applause.
"My co-host, Cate, is around here somewhere. Unless, of course, she already started drinking," Ryan spoke into a microphone on the stage. "Hey, you guys remember last year's Drink A Date? We almost had to rename it Drunk As Cate."
Cate hastily joined Ryan on stage.
"Yeah, this year we're offering a date with Cate. At the end of the night, we'll draw a name out of a top hat and one lucky guy will win a date with Cate. Of course who knows where that could lead. Except maybe couples' therapy," Ryan quipped.
"And for all you single ladies out there," Cate said loudly into her microphone, "you guys can also win a date with Ryan." Cate turned to Ryan and smirked. "But I use the term win loosely. Now, come on! Let's get the party started, shall we?"
"And the drinks flowing," Ryan chimed in. "So, OK, here's the deal, People. Everyone get a drink, find a person, if you like them, nurse your drink."
"And if you don't like them, just down it! Come up to the stage, we'll set you up with someone else. People get a lot better looking as the night goes on," Cate said. She cast a sidelong glance at Ryan and smiled mischievously. "Isn't that how Alice met her husband?"
Alice smiled good-naturedly.
"We got a couple of great guys behind the bar. They'll hook you up. In the meantime, let's get dating!" Ryan said.
Ryan put his hand on Cate's lower back and guided her off the stage. Cate shot him a warning glance and he held up his hands in defeat. No one could know they were dating.
They schmoozed fans for awhile. It didn't take long before Cate needed another drink. She maneuvered to the bar.
Cate stood just behind a young girl. She waited impatiently while the girl ordered.
"What are you drinking?" The bartender grinned cockily at the girl.
"Vodka and tonic," Lux replied, smiling slowly.
Cate looked up, surprised. The girl not only looked young, she sounded really young, too.
Blonde curls cascaded down the girl's back. Her face gave her away. It made her look young and innocent despite heavy make-up.
The girl felt Cate's eyes on her and fixed Cate with a piercing stare, a sassy expression on her face. The girl's eyes were strikingly blue.
Cate felt as though she'd seen this girl before, but couldn't place her. Cate racked her brain, trying to figure out how she knew this girl.
"Take a picture. It lasts longer," Lux said sarcastically, shifting uncomfortably under Cate's gaze.
Cate opened her mouth slightly in shock.
Lux turned back to the bartender, smiling seductively. "Thanks," she said, as she accepted her drink.
Cate ordered another drink and tipped the bartender. As she made her way back toward the stage, she searched the bar for the young girl. It was driving her crazy that she couldn't place her. Cate knew she'd seen that girl before. She just didn't know where.
Cate joined Ryan. She glanced down at the two top hats-one contained the names of guys hoping to win a date with her, while the other contained the names of girls who wanted to go out with Ryan. A line had already formed with people wanting to enter the contest.
"Another one for me," Cate commented haughtily when a guy dropped a slip of paper in her hat.
She scanned the line, trying to figure out if there were more guys or girls in line. Cate inhaled sharply when she noticed the girl from the bar standing toward the front of the line.
Cate doubted if the girl was even twenty-one. Why would she enter a contest to win a date with Ryan? He was thirty-two. He was old enough to be her father.
No, not her father, Cate corrected herself. Not unless he'd also had a child in high school and neglected to mention it. But he was definitely old enough to be the girl's older brother. Much older brother. Bottom line was he was too old for her.
Cate glared at the girl when she approached the front of the line. "Isn't he a little old for you?"
Ryan smirked. Cate was jealous. "Who are you calling old?" He teased.
"Please, she's probably not even legal," Cate shot back. She turned to Lux. "How old are you?"
"Don't worry about it." Lux rolled her eyes and dropped her name into the hat.
Cate retrieved the slip of paper and glanced down at the name. Lux. It didn't sound familiar. It was an unusual name.
"Lux?" Cate said.
Lux turned back and gave Cate an odd look.
"Lux what?" Cate asked.
Lux smirked. "Just Lux."
The brunette with Lux smiled slightly. "Like Madonna."
Cate rolled her eyes as the girls made their way back to the bar. She discarded the slip of paper with Lux's name into a nearby trash can.
Ryan smirked. "Jealous?"
"No. I just don't want you to get arrested for robbing the cradle," Cate retorted.
Ryan grinned cockily. "And you're jealous."
Cate gave Ryan a dirty look. "I need a drink."
All of a sudden, the atmosphere in the bar changed. The noise died down. Fans who had been enjoying themselves a few minutes ago hastily scrambled toward the exit.
Cate looked up, confused, and saw two policemen in the entrance.
Ryan appeared beside Cate and put an arm around her protectively.
"What's going on?" Ryan asked.
Cate shook her head. "I don't know." She frowned. "Where's Alice?"
They found Alice outside the bar.
"This is bad. This is really, really bad," Alice said.
"What happened?" Cate asked.
"The bar's being shut down for underage drinking," Alice said. "During Drink A Date."
Alice frowned. "Open Bar," she mumbled.
Cate followed Alice's gaze across the street.
"I'm gonna go talk to the manager. Maybe we can move the event across the street," Alice said.
Cate and Ryan sat down on the sidewalk.
"Hey! Watch it! I'm a minor!"
Cate looked up. She immediately recognized Lux.
A cop patted Lux down and cuffed her before leading her to the back of the police car.
"I knew she wasn't twenty-one," Cate said triumphantly.
Alice hurried over. "The owner of Open Bar just came through for us big time."
They retrieved their signage and the top hats from inside the bar. Alice made an announcement that the event was moving across the street. Then they headed over to Open Bar.
"Can I get a vodka and tonic?" Cate asked as she rummaged through her purse for a few dollars to tip the bartender. She glanced up and her mouth opened in shock when she locked eyes with Baze. "What are you doing here?"
"It's my bar," Baze replied as he poured Cate's drink.
"Of course it is," Cate muttered. She gave Baze a once-over and frowned. "You haven't changed a bit. Except your hairline."
Baze ran a hand through his hair self-consciously and checked Cate out. "You have." He grinned cockily. "You look good."
"My God, are you seriously hitting on me?" Cate cried out, glaring at him.
"That's not what you said in high school," Baze retorted.
Cate accepted the drink Baze had made for her and promptly threw it in his face.
Baze grabbed Cate's arm and led her outside. "OK. Look, I need to rake it in tonight. I need this event. You need to chill."
"I need to chill?" Cate repeated, her tone deadly. "I need to chill! You're unbelievable!"
"This is the opposite of chilling," Baze said.
Cate rolled her eyes and moved toward the entrance to Open Bar.
Baze stopped her, grabbing her arm again.
Cate pushed Baze away and he stumbled backward.
A police officer approached them. He frowned. "Are you two married?"
"No!" Baze and Cate said in unison.
The officer turned to Cate. "Have you been drinking tonight?"
Cate's eyes widened. "Uh, I've had a drink or two."
"Will you take a breathalyzer test?" The officer asked.
"What? No!" Cate made a face.
"You're going to have to come with me," The officer said.
"What? Why?" Cate demanded, horrified.
"Drunk and disorderly conduct," The officer replied.
"I'm not disorderly," Cate protested as the cop led her toward his car.
"You shoved that gentleman. You're belligerent. You're slurring. You refused to take the Breathalyzer test," the officer said.